


Endless Sands Endless Souls

by blueskieswastaken, Quirinah, Vullardqueen



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Pearl Emperor and Prince be like siblings yo, Prince has a violin also isn't that just the coolest shit, pearl misses her wife tails, she's big sad, there's some ocs also can't escape that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:47:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24729196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueskieswastaken/pseuds/blueskieswastaken, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quirinah/pseuds/Quirinah, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vullardqueen/pseuds/Vullardqueen
Summary: An unknown disaster turns the world into a desert, and Order has won the Final Splatfest. An oasis city stands amongst the endless dunes, yet some of its people are unsatisfied. When a rebellion begins under Pearl’s rule and Marina is forced to exile her into the unforgiving desert outside the confines of the city, they find themselves trying to survive in the desert outside the walls against all odds. Families and lovers alike are torn apart at the hands of a grudge. Can differences be overcome?
Relationships: Aloha/Army (Splatoon), Bobble/Mask (Splatoon), Emperor/N-Pacer (Splatoon), Goggles/Rider (Splatoon), Marina/Pearl (Splatoon)
Kudos: 16





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome! This is a fairly big project quite a few people are working on. I wanted to drop a link to the blog that goes along with this fic, it's got all the neat designs and info, and is also an ask blog. 
> 
> endless-sands-endless-souls on tumblr!
> 
> Here's some of the cool people who are working on this!
> 
> Art and designs by Quirinah (tumblr)/Quirinahdraws (twitter)  
> Writing: Vullardqueen (tumblr and twitter), and blueskiesswastaken  
> Editing: Otto  
> Worldbuild and other miscellaneous things, jack of all trades: grubsnuggle (tumblr/twitter)

The perfect chrome room was suffocatingly silent as Pearl stepped inside. She found Marina sitting at the head of a cleared table, with Emperor and Prince at her right and left hand. N-Pacer and Eging’s seats were empty, and she was instead surprised to find them standing beside their charges, weapons at their sides. Everyone’s eyes were on her. 

Pearl cleared her throat. “...hey. This is...uh...odd. What’s the deal…?” She asked, looking at each of their faces. “You guys are looking at me like I’m in trouble.”

Nobody in the room even cracked a smile. Marina just sighed. “...sit down, Pearl.” She said.

Pearl blinked. The use of her real name irked her -- it was abnormal for Marina to use it instead of Pearlie, unless there was trouble. She slowly sat down in the chair and placed her hands on the table. “...okay…” she said carefully. “...what’s this about?” 

Pacer moved from Emperor’s side to pick something up and bring it to the table, setting it infront of Pearl. It was something she recognized easily -- a modified fizzy bomb. Something she’d made herself, meant to spread fire and not ink. “...Pearl, we found this.” Marina said carefully as Pacer went back to Emperor’s side. 

Pearl stared at it for a moment as she carefully tried to weigh what she might say. They weren’t supposed to find out about that. She finally sighed. “Yeah? So what?” 

Marina blinked and furrowed her brow. “It’s illegal, Pearl, and plus, what were you planning to do with it?” She asked. “...what were you  _ all  _ planning to do with it? You and the rebellion you’ve started?”

“You know about that?” Pearl asked, her eyes widening with alarm. 

“We have eyes everywhere.” Marina said, disappointment seeping into her expression. “...you know that. Why would you do this…?”

Suddenly, anger flared up in Pearl’s chest. They’d been  _ watching _ her, just like they watch everybody. Pearl suddenly stood up from her chair, “ _ That’s  _ why!” She shouted. “You’re watching everybody, you’re controlling everybody, I told you it’s wrong! You won’t listen to me! Somebody has to do something!”

As Pearl stood abruptly, Eging and Pacer brought their weapons close, Pacer placing one hand on the grip and the other with her finger just over the trigger. As Pearl saw this she growled. “--what, what are you gonna do, shoot me?” She asked. “I’m sick of this. I’m sick of seeing everyone controlled, you’re sucking the life out of everyone! People in this city want to live, that’s why there’s even a rebellion in the first place!”

Marina was startled by her outburst, and she too stood from her chair. Prince sat up straight in his chair, gripping the edge of the table until his knuckles were white. Emperor, on the other hand, sat back in his chair, watching his sister with a calculating look on his face. “You know that we need order for everyone to be safe, to control everyone--”

“That’s what I’m sick of!” Pearl yelled. “Being  _ controlled. _ ”

“But we have to--”

“NO, WE DON’T.” Pearl yelled, and without thinking, she put a hand on the modified fizzy bomb on the table in front of her. The moment she did Pacer had the gun pointed at her, her eyes carefully traced on her -- and only her. One more movement and she’d take her down.

“...Pearl, put the bomb down.” Marina said quickly. “We don’t need to escalate this, I don’t want anything to happen--”

“But something NEEDS to happen!” Pearl yelled, her grip tightening on the bomb. Her eyes went to Prince, and then to Emperor and Pacer. “Look at Eging! He broke too many rules, now he’s got hypno-shades. People who break rules here get hypnoshades Doesn’t that sound wrong??”

Marina frowned, but in her eyes, anger was building. “...It’s what we have to do to keep order.” 

Pearl dropped the bomb, but was suddenly moving around the table towards Eging, and Pacer watched her with unblinking eyes. “Don’t you think it sounds  _ familiar?” _

“Pearl, stop.” Marina warned, her voice shaking and frown turning into a thin line. She held a hand out towards Pacer to stop her from shooting.

But Pearl didn’t stop. She reached out for Eging to rip the shades from his eyes, and the moment she did Marina took her hand from Pacer and the gun went off. Pearl felt white-hot pain explode across her side, and she stumbled back away from Eging as her hand went to the new wound. She felt warm blood soak her shirt, and run down her side. Her wide eyes went up to Pacer, shock on her face.  _ She was actually shot. _

Marina’s cold voice came next. “....throw her out of the city.”

Pearl stumbled back against the wall. She knew she was rapidly losing blood, and it wouldn’t be long before she was unconscious. Pacer put her weapon on her back, and walked to Pearl to pick her up by her arm, ignoring a cry of pain coming from her. From there, they marched to the front gate. Marina, Prince and Emperor following.

People gathered as she was dragged through the city. There was murmuring, but Pearl couldn’t make anything out. She saw drops of blood on the ground behind them, and she stumbled as she began to get dizzier. As they came to the gate it opened to the desert wasteland outside, and as ordered Pacer tossed her out into the sand where she rolled to her side and stayed there, blurred vision on the gate and the people standing there. 

Out of the crowd, she saw Emperor and Prince standing there. Her family. She tried to get up on her elbow. “E-Emp, P-Prince--” She choked. She placed a hand on the hot sand, and slowly, painfully got to her knees. “H-Help me--” 

Emperor's expression only changed to carry a bit of annoyance, and Prince looked away, closing his eyes to the scene in front of him. He crossed his arms to hide his trembling hands.   
Pearl tried to move forwards on her knees. “-- _ please!”  _ She cried. 

_ She didn’t want to die alone out here.  _

Sharp, hot white pain exploded across her face as the butt of Pacer’s weapon struck her jaw. She fell down into the sand curling up on her side and holding her now bleeding face. 

“Don’t go any farther.” Pacer said coldly.

“You can’t come back. No one is going to help you.” Marina said as she watched Pearl. That cold voice from earlier was shaking now. “...you were going to ruin our city. What we worked so hard for…” 

Pearl groaned, closing her eyes. There was too much blood being lost all too rapidly and her jaw throbbed. She heard footsteps of people turning away back into the city and for a moment she  _ knew _ she was going to die alone here. 

And then there were footsteps coming towards her. A tall, dark-skinned inkling was coming towards her. He leaned down and scooped her up into his arms, and he turned towards the crowd. “...I can’t say I like chaos.” He said. “...but the life we have here isn’t worth it. So I’ll leave with her.” 

There was more murmuring in the crowd. Pearl looked up through blurred vision at the man holding her, and she vaguely recognized him. A man named Rider. Then she heard the voice of another -- a younger, higher voice. She looked over to see a blue tentacled inkling with goggles sitting on his head coming over. “Me too!” He said, although all too cheerily for someone who was dooming themselves to death in the desert. 

Once he came to stand by Rider, more and more people came from the crowd to stand with them. All of them agreed -- the life they were living there wasn’t worth it, and they were willing to leave and take a chance. 

\--

_ “Go find her, Prince.” Marina whispered, “Take supplies. The guards will be looking the other way, I’ll be sure of it.” She takes something from her pocket -- the silver shine of money in the dull light.  _

_ “...when?” The smaller inkling asks, his voice dripping with a mixture of fear and excitement. _

_ “As soon as you can. Go to my mother, she’ll let you in her supply. Take what you need. Then go.”  _

_ Prince swallows, and slowly he nods. “Thank you, Rina…” He whispers. Tears are clouding his vision, and he watches Marina put the coins back into her pocket.  _

_ “...if...if she’s gone. I-If she’s gone, please...send something b-back with Marie when she comes.” Marina explains. “...I-I need closure.” _

_ \-- _

_ Outside Eleanor shook her head.  _

_ “Weak.”  _


	2. ephemera

The deep blue moonlight of the frigid desert night gently glittered in the dull golden eyes of a single squid as she slowly drew a simple repeating pattern in the sand around her. Her jacket, the only defense she had from the harsh cold, was discarded a few feet away. The silver fabric, torn and ripped, shined in the dim light of the silvery moon above, almost like it was mocking her. 

She remembers how it felt to be thrown out. It hasn’t even been a week. She remembers the look her brothers gave her, her own family, her _only_ family, as she was tossed out into the sand to die. Her own brothers, who she’s loved ever since they were both nothing more than whelps... standing there, watching, not even trying to convince Pacer to stop as she was dragged out of the city.

Tears burned her cheeks as she thought. What did she do to deserve her own brothers abandoning her, both perfectly willing to let her go? 

She sighs, laying down on the sand, staring up at the stars as footsteps approached her. She hears someone kneel beside her, feels them drape a blanket over her and gently lift her aching, pounding head to give her a pillow, her sobs quieting at the newfound warmth.  
The stranger, who she couldn’t recognize behind her tears, then dug a little pit in the sand in front of her, dropping some wood in it and lighting it with a match. 

She sees a pair of goggles on her companion’s head when the wood catches. Of course- that’s his name. Goggles. He’s kneeling by the fire, not saying anything as he lays a small cup of what looks like soup in front of her. 

“... one of the other kids made it. You didn’t get any, I told them to save some for you.”   
When she didn’t respond, Goggles gave her a small, relaxed smile, though it didn’t last long.  
“Do you want to talk about it? Your brothers?”

She shakes her head. He nods, looking into the fire.   
“Okay. I won’t make you talk to me, then. Take as much time as you need.”

-

The harsh, burning sunlight of the sweltering desert noon oppressively shone down on the bright golden tentacles of a lonely squid as he slowly made his way through the sand. His coat, the only defense he has against the wind blowing in his face, is tied around his waist, one sleeve held up over his nose and mouth. 

His lungs burned with every breath, his eyes forced to focus on the ground beneath him. He wished he wasn’t alone.

And soon, he won’t be. 

He smiles, wider than he’s ever smiled before, when he sees the camp in the distance. He’s hot, he’s tired, and he’s finally going to see his sister again. He tries calling out, and manages a tiny shout, a single “I’m here...” before he can’t stay on his feet anymore. He sees a group of inklings run up to him and feel them lift him off the ground as his vision fades. 

  
-

He wakes up in a tent with a pair of octolings sitting off to the side, one placing a pot of water over a crackling fire and the other rubbing oil over his painful sunburns. His jacket is hanging off to the side, along with his old clothes, which have been swapped out for a light tank top and shorts. He’s been laid out on a cot, a pillow under his head, and it doesn’t hurt as bad to breathe anymore, especially now that there’s steam floating through the tent. 

He takes a deep breath and coughs, cringing at the pain in his throat as he tries to speak.

“...where...?”  
He catches one of the octolings’ attention, his small whisper just barely loud enough to be heard over the boiling water.  
“What was that?”  
“Where’s... my s-...”  
He coughs, shakes his head.  
“...my s- sister...?”

“Who?”  
“Pearl...”  
The octolings whisper between each other before one turns to him and tells him he can go back to sleep.

And he does, only to be woken a few hours later by someone gently grasping his hand and holding it to her cheek. She’s crying, smiling at him, leaning down so that he can hug her as tight as he can.   
“Pearlie...”

“Prince... I’m so happy to see you again. I thought you weren’t gonna come back.”  
“I missed you. I’m your brother, aren’t I? We gotta stick together.”

Pearl picks him up, carefully steadying him on his feet before tightly hugging her youngest brother and letting him cry into her shoulder.


End file.
